Govindan Aravindan (23 January 1935 – 15 March 1991) was an Indian film director, screenwriter, musician, cartoonist, and painter.
Early Life
Govindan Aravindan was born on 23 January 1935, Kottayam, Kerala. He studied at University College, Thiruvananthapuram. His father, M.N. Govindan Nair, was a writer.
Career
He worked as a cartoonist for various magazines and journals like Mathrubhumi in the 1960s. He had a lot of popular cartoon series like Cheriya Manushyarum Valiya Lokavum, Ramuvinte Sahasika Yathrakal, and Guruji.
He was also a musician and a stage actor. He teamed up with renowned theatre person K.N. Panicker. Avanavan Kadamba and Kaali were two of the plays they worked on together. Other artists he worked with include Devan, P. Karunakaran and Thikkodiyan.
The first film he made was Uttarayanam (1974), followed by Kanchanasita in 1977, Pokkuveyil (1981), Chidambaram (1985), Oridethu (1986), Kanchana sita (1978), Unni (1988). Other notable works include Vasthuhara (1991), Easthappan (1979), Kummatti (1979), and Thampu (1979). He’s also made a few documentaries like The Brown Landscape and The Catch which won Kerala State awards.
There are 11 feature films and a few documentaries he made that changed Malayalam cinema forever. As a filmmaker, he was one of the most important of his time because of his radical experiments with storytelling and cinematic forms.
Award
In 1990, he received the Padma Shri, India’s fourth highest civilian award.
He also won 7 National Awards, 18 State Awards. He won a national award for his last movie, Vaasthuhara, which was released in 1990. For his debut movie, Utharayanam, he won the National Award for Best Feature Film. It also won regional awards. He won best director awards for Kanchana Sita, Thampu, and Oridathu. His movie Chidambaram won best feature film in 1986.
Death
He died on 15 March 1991, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India.
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